Gasol is a far and away clear upgrade over Aldridge. He actually has a post-up game. And he uses his length better. We are too small up front as well. Deke would have been great here, but it was not to be.
A Portland team with more experience could have easily beaten us. L.A. = Portland with more talent and A LOT more experience. The odds are pretty stacked against us... But f' em. Let's do this!
Yep, and they have a coldblooded killer named Kobe Bryant that is a top 2 player in the league. Roy played extremely well but he is no Kobe. The Lakers also run a triangle offense which is an improvement over Portland's.
Wafer just needs to play more minutes. He goes nuts when he plays the Lakers. Ehh... not really. Going to be an intense series.
The difference is Kobe. Unlike Roy, Kobe looks to set up his teammates. Than when i'ts time for him to takeover, he scores at will. I think the Rockets can win, but they have to be able to execute much better than they did against Portland. That means no more stupid turnovers and no more cold spells on offense.
Odom is the key to this series, we have no one that can match up with him and as someone said before me, if they can't contain him on the offense and on the glass, the Rox are gonna have a big problem. Another key is how Artest takes the challenge of Kobe. If he tries to prove that somehow he's better than him, then we have another problem. They have to play smart, absolutely smart basketball to win.
I think either Shane or Ron will do fine against Lamar Odom. The key is who will dominate their mismatches, Yao on Bynum or Gasol on Scola. Of course, we are analyzing this series under the presumption that it will be fairly officiated, which it won't be. David Stern has been salivating for a Lebron Kobe finals since the beginning of this season. Look for the refs to take Yao out of the game whenever Houston appear to have an advantage over the Lakers.
I don't know, I still see Gasol as being a bit soft. He may have more skills than Alridge - but Aldridge lit us up this series, can you really imagine Gasol putting up bigger numbers and being more physical? I just don't see it. Regular season and playoffs are not the same thing.
just miss the key point, that we don't have a championship coach, that's why our team is accustomed to collapse in the 4th quarter and final seconds.
What? Shane and Ron give up both height and length on Odom. We really shouldn't be underestimating this team and getting our hopes up way too high.
Good post and I agree with your points. Having gone against the length and athleticism of Portland will prove to be good preparation for the Lakers. I do think, though, Gasol is smarter and more physical than Aldridge, particularly against Yao, and will be harder to handle. Plus, I expect he and Bynum will take turns matching up defensively against Yao. Plus, the Laker centers have much more offense than Pryzbilla and Oden. They have the ability to attack Yao and put him in foul trouble. Gasol is also a good passer to cutters in the paint. I think the biggest difference between Portland and LA is their defense. The Lakers are an excellent defensive team this year, and will make it even harder for Houston to find points. Our backcourts, both Brooks/Artest and Lowry/Wafer, are going to be tested over and over again, and they must show smarts and discipline. This is going to be an uphill battle, but this Rockets team has proven to be a resilient bunch. If Yao stays out of foul trouble and we play consistent and intense team defense, we'll be in every game until the end.
experience is the difference between the 2. we definitely wont be blowing them out at their home. they also have the refs on their side every game, something portland doesnt.
I want to go on record right now. LA is by far the superior team. They are better than the Rockets at virtually every position except center and they are no slouch there. They should win the series, they should sweep us. They did in the regular season. But they won't. The games are going to be really tough and close. The Rockets are going to play their best defense of the season and on offense they are going to be relaxed and shoot a high percentage. Yao will do better than he did against Portland. Artest will go on a hot streak and will take less threes and drive more. Wafer will make significant contributions. Scola will play exceptionally well and Landry will show up and the series will be extended. SHOCK AND AWE: Rockets in six.
